Water-current and air motor.



P. T. SNYDER.

WATER CURRENT AND AIR MOTOR.

APPLICATION rum) mm. 10. 1910.

Patented Jan. '23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. T. SNYDER.

WATER CURRENT AND AIR MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1910.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH ccn, WASHINCITPN. n. c.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. T. SNYDER.

WATER CURRENT AND AIR MOTOR.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 10, 1 910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3W0 e/wl oz Par/119T 5/74 4121? COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu.. WAS c.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

PARKE T. SNYDER,

or CELINAV, OHIO.

WATER-CURRENT AND AIR MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

Application filed August 10, 1910. Serial No. 576,540.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PARKE T. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Celina, in the county'of Mercer and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in ater-Current and AirMotors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in water currentoperated or air-propelling motors and the object in view is to produce asimple and efiicient apparatus of this nature especially adapted for usein currents of running streams or as a tide motor to utilize the ebb andflow or the under current in an ocean, waves from the surface of bodiesof water, etc.

The invention consists further in an apparatus of this nature soconstructed of a .plurality of wings or blades and so mounted without acasing that several of the blades will be subjected to the impact of themoving water or air while others are thrown into position to feather andoffering a minimum amount of resistance while returning to inoperativepositions.

The invention consists further in the provision of a series of swingingwings or blades mounted to swing in suitable bearings connected to ashaft and so arranged that certain of the blades will be automaticallythrown to positions to increase the fulcrum power bearing against theblade when the latter is blanked by an adjacent blade, means beingprovided for holding the blades in inoperative positions while beingacted upon by a current of water.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of means forholding the blades in inoperative positions when it is desired to stopthe motor.

The invention consists further of various other details of constructionand combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafterfully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure1 is a perspective view of my improved current motor. Fig. 2 is asectional view longitudinally through one end of the same. Fig. 3 1s across sectional view through the motor. Fig. 4c is a detail view througha modified form of the invention in which the blades are arranged inpairs. Fig.

5 is a modification of the invention showing the. blades mounted atright angles to the positions of the blades shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is asectional view showing a modified means of holding the blades ininoperative positions, and Fig. 7 is a detail view.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Adesignates a shaft upon which the motor is mounted, said shaft beingshown in the drawings as mounted in bearings A upon tubular'portions Bof a "1 frame B. Said motor is shown as having two disks C, althoughspider wheels or other forms may besubstituted for said disks and whichdisks have mounted therein a series of swinging blades D which, in thedrawings, are shown as having spindle ends D projecting preferablyadjacent to one of the longitudinal marginal edges of each blade andeach spindle end is j ournaled in one of said disks C. In Fig. 1 of thedrawings, I have shown corresponding ends D of said spindles asprojecting through one of the disks and bent at right angles for apurpose which will be presently described.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, I have shown a slight modification of theinvention in which the disk S is provided with a series of singleblades, each designated by letter S and each blade having a pintle S andeach end adjacent to its longitudinal edge and a circular i 1 series oflugs S projects from the inner face of each disk and each lug adapted toserve as a stop to limit the swinging movement of the blade S in onedirection. Projecting from each disk S adjacent to its circumference isa second series of lugs, each designated by letter S, and against thelugs S one or more of the blades S is adapted to fulcrum, as shownclearly in Fig. 3 for the purpose of increasing the propulsive power ofthe water upon the motor at a certain point in the rotary movement ofthe motor.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, two of the blades are fulcrumed against twoof said lugs, while one of the other blades is in feathering positionand the others in position to receive the impact of the current ofwater. a

In order to hold certain of the blades in operative positions while theothers will automatically feather, I provide the means shown in Figs. 1and 2 of the drawings and in which a shell H is shown as being mountedto reciprocate upon the pipe B, and casings I, substantiallysemi-cylindrical in shape, are connected together and a strap H isfastened to each casing and passes about the shell H to which they arefastened. The convexed surfaces J of said casings are adapted to bemoved into the paths of the angled ends D of the rods D when the saidshell H is at its farthest outer limit. WVhen at its opposite orinnermost limit, the convexed surfaces J will be out of the paths of theangled ends D and which latter adjust ment of the parts is illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2. An operating lever ,K is pivotally ,mounted at K uponthe bar B and a link L pivotally connects the lever K with the pin Mcarried by the shell H.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, I have shown a series of locking members N 3hinged at their inner ends to the disk in which the blades are mountedand fastened to each of said members N 2 is a rod N which passes throughopenings in the disks N and N and a nut N is mounted upon the-threadedend of the rod N. The disk N is: fastened to a shell N and whichtelescopes over the shaft N and to which shell any operating levermechanism may be connected for mov-' ing the same longitudinally for thepurpose of throwing the locking members N into or out of the paths ofthe blades.

In Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, I have shown the blades arranged inpairs. In the form shown in Fig. 4, I have illustrated a cylindricalportion P about the central shaft P and lugs R project radially from thecircumference of said cylinder and against which the free end of theinner series of blades D is adapted to contact while the inner ends ofthe outer series of blades D are adapted to contact with the rear orpivotal ends of the inner series of blades.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have shown a slight modification in thearrangement of the blades in which they are disposed in series at rightangles to the positions shown in theother figures of the drawings, eachblade being mounted upon a radial arm W which is fastened to the shaft Wjournaled in suitable bearings W The blades W are substantially thelength of said arms upon which they are journaled and the outer freeswingingvedge of each blade W, when the series is closed or thrown intooperative positions, overlaps the inner end of an adjacent blade, thusproducing a continuous surface to the current from one end of the motorto the other. Fixed to the shaft W is a pulley W whereby power generatedby the motor may be transmitted to any suitable object.

In operation, when the apparatus is utithe blades.

lized as a current or tide motor, the frame carrying the wheel islowered in the water and the force of the current coming in contact withthe blades will cause a rotary movement to be imparted to the motor. As.the motor rotates, certain of the blades will feather in the mannershown in Figs. 3 and a of the drawings, while others will be presentedeither broad face or at right angles to the current to eiz ert apropulsive force thereagainst.

In Fig. a of'the drawings two sets of blades are shown in featheringpositions to ofier a minimum amount of resistance to the current, whilethe other blades are positioned to be acted upon by the force of thecurrent. In the form shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and assuming thatthe current is passing in the direction of the arrow, one of the bladesis shown in feathering position While two of-the blades are fulcrumedagainst lugs upon the, circumference of the disk in which an increasedleverage of the force of the water will be imparted to the motor at suchtimes when an adjacent blade is blanked by one of the blades. In theevent of the motor being utilized in tidal currents where the water ebbsand flows or strong under currents, the impact of the water coming fromany direction against the motor will impart a rotary movement in thesame direction to the apparatus.

When it is desired to hold the blades in inoperative positions, when theform of apparatus shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is employed, the shell N may bemoved downward so that the members N will project in the paths of Areverse movement to the shell N will cause the members N to be withdrawn from the paths of the blades and allow the same to rotatefreely.The members N 3 being hinged attheir points of connection with the diskin which the blades are j ournaled, they will naturally, when released,fall to operative positions. In the form of stopping mechanism shown inFig. 1, the lever K is operated to cause the shell 7 H to movelongitudinally upon the tubular portion B of the frame to bring the con-1 vexed edges of the shells J into such positions as to bear against theedges of the ends D of the pintles thereby holding the blades fromswinging upon their fpivots.

In the application of my invention for aerial navigation, the shaft maybe driven by any suitable motor apparatus which may cause the blades tobe thrown forcibly down against the air and feather or return themupward, the principle involved being the same as when the apparatus isutilized as a current motor, excepting that the motor is driven inaerial navigation, whereas in water the motor will be driven by thecurrent.

What I claim to be new is:

1. A current operated motor comprising a series of blades having pintlesprojecting from the ends thereof, bearing means in which said pintlesare mounted, the corresponding pintles each being bent laterally, amovable member having a convexed edge, and means for throwing the sameinto or out of the paths of the laterally extending ends of said pintlesto cause certain of the blades to feather.

2. A current operated motor comprising a frame having disks parallel toeach other, a series of blades each having a pintle projecting from oneof the longitudinal marginal edges thereof and having bearings in saiddisks, the pintles at corresponding ends of the blades extending throughone of the disks and being bent at an angle, a shell movable upon saidframe, members fastened to said shell and provided With convexed edgesWhich are adapted to be moved into the paths of said angled ends of thepintles, and means for moving said shell.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftWo Witnesses.

PARKE T. SNYDER.

Witnesses: A A. L. HoUGH,

A. R. FOWLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

